希西迦患病
1那些日子，希西迦病危，亞摩斯的兒子以賽亞先知前來對他說：「耶和華說，『你要交待後事，因為你要死了，你的病不能康復。』」 2希西迦把臉轉向牆，向耶和華禱告，說： 3「耶和華啊，求你顧念我怎樣全心、忠誠地事奉你，做你視為善的事。」希西迦痛哭起來。 4耶和華對以賽亞說： 5「你去告訴希西迦，『你祖先大衛的上帝耶和華說，我聽見了你的禱告，也看見了你的眼淚，我要使你的壽命增加十五年。 6我要從亞述王手中拯救你和這城，我要保護這城。』」 2138·21-22 這兩節在原文抄本是放在本章末尾，不過這可能是在謄抄過程中放錯位置。其實這兩節經文放在6節和7節之間最為自然，就如在列王紀下一樣，參見列王紀下20·7-8。以賽亞說：「拿一塊無花果餅貼在王的瘡上，他就會痊癒。」 22希西迦問：「有什麼兆頭能證明我可以再上耶和華的殿嗎？」
1In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.38.1 Set…: Heb. Give charge concerning thy house 2Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, 3And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.38.3 sore: Heb. with great weeping
4¶ Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, 5Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. 6And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city. 7And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken; 8Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.38.8 sun dial: Heb. degrees by, or, with the sun
9¶ The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness: 10I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years. 11I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world. 12Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd’s tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.38.12 with…: or, from the thrum 13I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. 14Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.38.14 undertake…: or, ease me 15What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul. 16O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live. 17Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.38.17 for peace…: or, on my peace came great bitterness38.17 thou hast in…: Heb. thou hast loved my soul from the pit 18For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. 19The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth. 20The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD. 21For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover. 22Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?
